Improvement in picture-frames



duim glaner @tutti (fujifilm.

Letters Patent N 99,022, dated January 18, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT 'IN PICTURE-FRAMES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN SPERRY, of the city and State of' New York, have invented a new and useful .Improvement in the Construction of Circular, Oval,

and other Picture-Frames; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a clear, full, and exact description thereof', reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a blank form or frame put together, ready to be turned or cut to any configuration of face desired.

Figure 2 represents a section of the same.

Similar letters represent similar parts iu both figures.

A A, the base or main structure of the frame.

B, the part on which the more prominent or elevated portions ofthe configuration or moulding are Vto appear.

The parallel centric lines indicate the different layers of thestrips or veneers, constituting the body of the frame; the outer and inner edges, and the two intermediate black lines, the position of the wider strips or veneers, or the additional form or rough fra-me, as hereinafter provided.

C O are the joints or points of connection of the base of the frame, and D D, of the upper part, when constructed of two rough forms or blanks.

Oval, circular, and elliptical frames have heretofore been constructed by sawing, from boards or planks, in segments or other suitable forms, pieces, several of which, being tougued, grooved, dovetailed, or otherwise framed, and glued and secured together, approximate as near as possible to the form of the required flame. The frame, thus formed, is placed upon a lathe or submitted to the action of any of the usual machines for turning or cutting circular or oval frames, to he cut or turned to the desired form, including any required moulding or configuration of face, with rebate on the back to receive the picture and glass.

'lro form these frames by cutting the segments or pieces i'crrr'plank, as is the 4present practice, there is first', an inevitable loss of lumber; second, aconsderable amount of extra labor in joining the various pieces together; third, the frames are liable to open at the numerous joints; and fourth, in joining these pieces together, it almost invariably occurs that theI grain of the wood at the joints runs in diverse directions, causing the materials to be split or injured at these points by the action of the cutters.

To economize in the use of lumber, amount of labor, lessen thenumber of joints, and cause the grain of the wood to run in the same general direction, is the object of my invention, which consists in forming such frames from a series of thin strips of wood, of varying dimensions, as hereinafter particularly described.

A.Iii'st, out the lumber into thin strips, substantially like what are known as veneers, generally thicker than ordinary veneers. '.lhe thickness, however, may he considerably varied, the only 4limit being that they should not be so thick, that in bending, the libres will be materially disturbed. I find, in practice, that a thickness of about one-eighth of an inch answers the purpose best.

These strips or veneers,4 being, of varying widths, cut from the logs, are then out or sawed to narrower strips, as may be desired, and cut to a length suicicnt to form such portion of the frame as may be required, which, for circular and oval frames, is usually one-half'.

The surfaces of the strips are then covered with glue, and one strip laid on another, until a sufficient thickness is obtained, when the whole are placed in a suitable bending-machine, having a block shaped to the desired form, which, in case of circular, oval, or elliptical frames, is one-half of the frame, around or against which block, the strips, so arranged and prepared, are forced by a suitable band passing around and drawing them firmly to the form or block, to which they are then secured by proper clamps, and where the 'whole are firmly held until the glue is thoroughly set, and the form thus produced is-h'xcd.

In preparing the strips, they may be sawed or out of various widths, and, in gluing them together, the narrower ones may be placed in the part ot'thc frame where the greater depression is desired inthe mould ing or configuration of the face, and the wider ones, where the more prominent lmembers of the moulding or configuration are to appear.

In lieu of thus arranging strips or veneers of varying widths, and as a further part of my improvement, that part of the faceof the frame, ou which the'more prominent part of moulding or configuration is to appear, may be formed separately, vin like manner, of the requisitenumber of strips or veneers, and joined or glued to the first-described rough f'orm of the frame, in such manner that the two latter sections, where so secured together, and to the two former, will break or lap the joints thereof', by which means all the joints or connections of the sections are more securely held.

The sections or halves, having been thus prepared, are then secured to each other by tonguing, grooving, dovetailing, or in any other of the modes ot' uniting and securing sections of such frames, well known to persons skilled in the business. The face ot` the frame is then turned or out to the desired configuration, and finished in the usual manner.

What I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Constructing circular, oval, or elliptical frames, and elliptical portionsof other frames, from series of strips or veneers, combined, bent, and secured together, substantially as and for the purpose specified.l

Also, forming these frames, bysecuring together two separate forms, substantially as specified, so as to break or lap the joints of their respective sections.

This specification signed, this 2d day of' March, 1868.

JOHN SPERRY.

Witnesses:

PETER VAN ANCLWERP, Taos. D. JAMES. 

